The popular Final Fantasy anthology series is one of the most groundbreaking video game series of all time. What makes each one of them groundbreaking is their in-depth world building, diverse characters and character arcs. However, what really makes Final Fantasy so unique is their themes and allusions to the real world. Their most famous games being Final Fantasy VII alludes to the corruption of capitalism and the role it plays on the environment while also having imperialist themes as well. But what game is really political of the series is Final Fantasy XII, which was released in 2006 for Playstation 2. Since its release it’s been remastered and ported for Playstation 4 and 5 as Final Fantasy XII:The Zodiac Age, expanding more on the world of Ivalice. But I’m not here to talk about the greatness of the game, which is indeed one of my top favorite Final Fantasy games, I’m here to talk about the themes and the allegorical connections with West Asia, specifically Palestine.
When we are first introduced to Dalmasca, we see the wedding of Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca to Rasler Heios Nabradia, the invasion and colonialism by the Archadian Empire of Nabradia, and eventually Rasler’s death and Dalmasca’s fall to colonial rule. Dalmasca is an allegory for an Arab country, with developers of the game saying they took inspiration for the name from the Syrian city of Damascus. And while they took inspiration from Levant for Dalmasca, to me all I saw was Palestine. The city of Rabanastre is still very reminiscent of the old cities of Akka and Yaffa, historical but yet modern, with bustling bazaars and Arabesque architecture. The clothing the characters of Dalmasca wear are very Levantine coded. Many argue that they’re blonde, but I am here to tell you that as a Palestinian I have cousins with blonde hair and blue eyes, some with red hair and freckles on their olive skin! They captured the diversity of the region through Dalmasca which is something I truly appreciate. (Also lookup some of the concept art for Dalmasca and Nabradia because they are very Levantine influence.)
What made me think of Palestine was when Vaan infiltrates the Palace, there’s a seal you have to find a seal with a lion reminding me of the Tree of Life mosiac in Hisham’s Palace in Reeha(Jericho). But what really kicks it off is how we’re introduced to Ashe and the resistance.
Ashe ends up being alive after her faked suicide and created a resistance group to fight against the Archadian Empire. Which the Empire uses Vayne Solidor arguing that he will be a friend to native Dalmascans(this is a lie of course). We find out the treaty signing of her late father with the Archadian Empire was a trick to eventually take control of it. And Ashe was clearly against this. The historian and Palestinian in me couldn’t think about the early British colonial efforts of Palestine and the Levantine, where the British Empire were lying to Arab bourgioise leaders on the promise of an Arab state after the Mandate was over, only for it to be nothing but false. Ashe and the Resistance along with Basch and the eventual party of Vaan, Penelo(native Dalmascans), and Balthier and Fran joining them eventually help liberate Dalmasca. Each one realizing their problems are related to the colonialism of Dalmasca, with Balthier’s father and nethicite, Vaan and Penelo wanting freedom of exploring, and Basch wanting honor restored.
Final Fantasy XII was released after the Second Intifada and the US invasion of Iraq. Instead of portraying Levantine coded characters as evil, Square shows them as wanting nothing more than liberation. When Vossler brings up trading the stone for Dalmasca to Ashe, she is furious implying that the Empire won’t hold up their end of their bargain. Vossler reminds me of the Oslo accords, or the 1947 Partition plan telling Ashe to accept her colonialism as a puppet government.
Oslo Accords introduced the puppet government of the Palestinian Authority, something every Palestinian is against. Oslo was a way for Israel to gain more power and access over the West Bank and Gaza, areas that Palestinians still had very little authority left. Vossler was telling Ashe to accept being a puppet government for the Archadian Empire, and like a true Palestinian, Ashe was against that. The loss of her motherland and the lost of her home is what motivates her to keep fighting, which I wanted to mention the importance of Rasler.
Someone on Twitter mentioned that Rasler is from Nablus, which is very similar to the city of Nabudis of the country of Nabradia which was an amazing take. Because Nabradia is the first country to rebel and fight against the Archadians which I reminded me of the people of Nablus during the British Mandate period. The fellahis of Nablus refused to accept British electricity as seeing it as a way to accept colonialism and Zionist settlers infiltrating their land. The Palestinians of Nablus rebelled by lighting their homes and businesses with oil lamps and candles. To this day Nablus is seen as an area of resistance filled with people who are very active against the Zionist colonial movement. In FFXII Nabradia ends up being in this weird pseudo-occupation. Nabradia is technically it’s own country but also under Archadian rule, with the fortress being where the Imperials are most active, and many Archadians moving to Nabradia and Dalmasca(according to the NPCs in the Nabradia and Rabanstre aerodomes). Though Nablus is in the West Bank and is technically under Palestinian Authority it’s been under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War and is experiencing a growing number of settlements as many people living in in the West Bank, face.
Ashe continues fighting on, realizing that revenge will not motivate her anymore, especially when listening to a fellow Dalmascan Vaan, whose brother fought for the liberation of their home country as well. She will not respond by blowing up Archadia as the Occuria want, but she will fight through her means of resistance. Her uncle ends up supporting her, and she even states how Dalmascans, do not like to use drastic methods, as nethicite seems to be a code for nuclear weapons. Palestinians want the same thing. Yes, armed resistance actually works, and it helped Ashe achieve liberation for Dalmasca. Reminiscent of how armed resistance works in cases like Algeria, Cuba, South Africa, and hopefully Palestine. But Palestinians will not be use nuclear weapons, like some imperial powers do, because we will not stoop as low as our oppressors who use nuclear weapons, like how Vayne and the Judges uses nethicite to freely.
There’s a quote Ashe says when speaking to her allies in Pharos that is relevant. “In all Dalmasca’s history, not once did we rely on the Dusk Shard. Our people resolved never to use it, though their need might be dire…That was the Dalmasca I wanted back.” Though Ashe is talking about the use of essentially a nuclear weapon, it still spoke to me as a Palestinian woman. Ashe only wanted her country back, and for her people to be liberated and it’s even more powerful when she declares Dalmasca is liberated to her uncle and fellow resistance members. Dalmasca is free, and librated state again by its people and her allies. Palestinians want a liberation like Dalmasca and in a modern case like Algeria.
There’s another line that sticks with me, that Ashe says that reminds me so much of Palestine. When she approaches Vayne in Bahamut and he asks who she is, she states “I am simply myself. No more and no less. And I want only to be free.” She may be in exile, she may be a member of the resistance, but at the end of the day she Ashelia, a daughter of Dalmasca. Who wants nothing more than freedom and liberation for not her people, but for herself. And like Ashe, I want nothing more than that.
Palestinians want the land our families tended too for centuries. We want our right of return. As someone who always cries at a Final Fantasy ending, hearing Ashe say that made me tear up, because I hope to hear similar words in regards to Palestine.
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